Tag: entomology

My fishing devotion started on the Gulf coast of Texas with my Dad and Uncle Bob. These evil men would wake me at what I thought of as an ungodly hour of 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning to drive to the bay after stopping to fill their thermos and pick up frozen shrimp. Then launch the boats and fly across the bay at light speed, in all conditions to drop the first lines over the oyster beds by first light. Later we would purchase live shrimp from the Shrimp boats working the bay, to go after Specs and Bull reds.

My love for fly fishing I will blame on two lovely ladies. My beautiful bride who one Christmas gave me a knockout graphite shafted rod and reel combo with a Bailey fly box full of imitations. I was the proverbial kid in the candy store. The organization I was with at the time planned a trip in late spring down the Quadalupe River. Tubing one afternoon with my kit I enticed a Rainbow to swallow my gnat fly. We were both hooked, him to be released, me on a journey.

The other lady is known as dorothea. She is known in Latin as Ephemerella dorothea. Most people call her the Mayfly. She has captivated fishermen and fish for millenia. Her life is a classic ugly duckling story, however prey and preditor love her no matter what she looks like. She abides most of her life at the bottom of the stream striving to survive and not become a meal for almost all her neighbors.

Then one perfect day, she rises to the surface and unfolds her wings to dry and flys to the nearest perch to bask in the sun and orient herself to her new surroundings. She don’t have long, she won’t even eat for her two days of life out of water. Find her partner, mate, return to the water surface and release her eggs to sink to the bottom of the stream, then allow the current to carry her as life fades.

The immitations of her carry more names than one can remember. Floating one down in the middle of a rise is thrilling. Seeing it swallowed and the fight that follows is regenerative. Brings back memories of men who were not really evil, now just saints. Miss those guys!!

As with most Fly-fishermen and women I can be impatient at times. I have been known to have many projects going at the same time. Peace comes not from the catch, the completion of the project , or at Payday. Peace comes in preparing for the trip, the loading of the perfect cast, the discovery of the usually unseen during the inspection.

Ok, the feeling at the end of a morning walk through cold water waving a stick is mighty peaceful. And I admit sitting in front of a fire after the evening walk, sipping out my flask warming up is too. But the memories of the most severe critics in the world rising and taking without reservation your creation of wire, string and feathers is timeless.

Brian Smth, ACE

Over 30 years of Entomology and Horticultural Experience. Associate Certified Entomologist, President of East Texas Pest Control Assn., member of the Texas Pest Control Assn., and the National Pest Management Assn. Commercial Certified Applicator By The Texas Dept. of Agriculture. An ArborJet trained Tree Care Provider. An Avid Fisherman and Amateur Enologist.